Parker’s Richie Law inching his way to ‘American Idol’ finals

Richie Law, when he performed at the Western Fantasy 2011 patron party.

After months of speculation, the rumors can be confirmed: Nineteen-year-old Richie Law of Parker is advancing quite nicely, thank you very much, in the tryouts for Season 11 of “American Idol.” But that’s about all we know for sure.

The show has some very strict rules about what the contenders can and cannot say, but The Idol Pad, an Internet site that leaks information about the Fox-TV show, claims Law has secured a “golden ticket” that will take him to the finals in Hollywood.

We tried to verify this with the Law family, but they deferred to the “American Idol” publicity department and we were not successful in getting anyone there to comment.

Law is attending Nebraska Wesleyan on an opera scholarship. He’s also a country singer and bears more than a passing resemblance, both in looks and sound, to Dwight Yoakam. He volunteers at the SaddleUp! Foundation in Parker, where founder Shery McDonald Galbreath describes him as a “grounded young man who is a good role model and a stunning example of Colorado talent. I’d go so far as to say he is the best Colorado talent since John Denver.”

The “American Idol” judges, Galbreath says, gave him a standing ovation when he gave the performance in Las Vegas that landed him in the top 40 pool of contestants. “They really loved him, but I don’t know if this will be the year for another country singer.” The 2011 winner was Scotty McCreery, who has been nominated for the Academy of Country Music’s New Artist of the Year Award.

Regardless of what happens with “American Idol,” Galbreath says “He’s going to be a star. He’ll finish college and then head to Nashville, where agents and songrwriters are already very interested in him.”